Grand Total Hard Running Costs (personnel + office/facility + overhead): ≈ $2,647,506

 Hard Costs Breakdown to Run the Organization

(Growth Organization of Topeka/Shawnee County, Inc. — Year Ended Dec 31, 2022)

1. Personnel Costs (Salaries + Benefits + Related)

Total Personnel Expenses: $1,943,208

Category	Economic Dev	Events	ETLC	Marketing	Gen & Admin	Total
Payroll/Benefits	$1,029,860	-	-	-	-	$1,029,860
Other Compensation	$6,073	-	-	-	-	$6,073
Professional Services	$180,944	$1,395	-	-	$25,986	$208,325
Other Employee Related	$67,727	$693	-	-	$530	$68,950
Total Personnel	$1,284,604	$2,088	-	-	$426,516	$1,943,208

• Core salaries & benefits (Payroll/Benefits) = $1,029,860 (the largest single hard cost line)
• Professional services and other employee costs add another ~$277k in personnel-related spending.

2. Office Expense

Total Office Expense: $35,465

Category	Economic Dev	Events	ETLC	Marketing	Gen & Admin	Total
Office Expense	$8,996	$1,193	$16,942	-	$8,334	$35,465

This is the pure “office expense” line (supplies, equipment, etc.).

3. Other Key Hard Operating Costs (Facility + Admin + Overhead)

These are the main recurring costs to keep the organization running:

Category	Total
Occupancy (Rent/Utilities)	$342,689
Office Expense	$35,465
Dues/Subscriptions	$74,497
Insurance/Taxes/Fees	$49,362
Depreciation	$114,415
Interest Expense	$83,024
Bad Debt Expense	$4,846
Total Hard Operating Costs (excl. personnel & programs)	~$704,298

Summary of Core “Hard Costs” to Run GoToPage

• Personnel (Salaries + Benefits + Related): $1,943,208
• Facility/Office (Occupancy + Office Expense): $378,154
• Other Overhead (Insurance, Depreciation, Interest, etc.): ~$326,144
• Grand Total Hard Running Costs (personnel + office/facility + overhead): ≈ $2,647,506

These figures represent the essential fixed and semi-fixed costs of operating the organization before program-specific spending, events, grants, business incentives, or marketing.

Total Expenses Summary (Year Ended December 31, 2022)

The organization reported $4,647,854 in total consolidated expenses for the year.

Breakdown by Functional Category:

• Economic Development: $3,413,943 (largest share — ~73% of total)
• Events: $47,943
• ETLC: $226,709
• Marketing: $389,947
• General and Administrative: $569,312

Key Highlights:

• Personnel expenses (payroll, benefits, etc.) were the biggest overall cost driver at $1,943,208.
• Business incentives totaled $1,233,953 (almost entirely under Economic Development).
• Program expenses came to $601,209.
• Operational expenses (occupancy, office, advertising, depreciation, etc.) totaled $869,484.

This statement shows a strong focus on economic development initiatives, which accounted for the majority of spending. All figures are taken directly from the consolidated statement of functional expenses.

Topeka's 8.5% is solid but not the highest in the state.

Kansas cities set their own Transient Guest Tax (TGT/hotel tax) rates via charter ordinances, often exceeding the statutory 2% base to fund tourism, conventions, and related projects. Rates as of early 2026 (per Kansas Department of Revenue data) range from 2–3% in smaller places up to 9–10% in larger or tourism-focused areas. Topeka's approved increase to 8.5% (effective Jan. 1, 2027) will position it competitively among mid-to-large Kansas cities.

Major/Regional City Comparison (Approximate Current Rates)

Here's a snapshot of notable cities (rates subject to updates; check KDOR for the latest):

• Kansas City (and related districts): 8–10% (some special districts at 10% as of 2026).
• Overland Park: 9%.
• Olathe: Recently raised from 6% to 9% (effective ~2026, ahead of events like FIFA World Cup).
• Mission: 9%.
• Shawnee: Recently raised to 9%.
• Topeka (current): 7% → 8.5% in 2027 (aligns with peers; prevents drop to ~6%).
• Lawrence: 8% (increased to this rate effective 2026).
• Manhattan: 7.5%.
• Wichita: 6%.
• Hays: 8.25%.
• Emporia: 8%.
• Andover, Abilene, Derby, El Dorado, Gardner, etc.: Often 8%.
• Smaller cities (examples): Ottawa 6%, many at 5–6% (e.g., Arkansas City, Chanute), or lower (3–5%).

Distribution: Most mid-sized and larger cities cluster in the 6–9% range. Over 100+ cities use home rule to exceed 2%. Lower rates (under 6%) are more common in very small towns or those with less tourism infrastructure.

Key Context

• Revenue Use: Funds typically support tourism promotion (e.g., Visit Topeka or equivalents), convention centers, events, sports facilities, theaters, and economic development. It's a "visitor-paid" tax that brings in outside dollars.
• Why Variations? Larger metro/suburban areas (Johnson County/KC area) trend higher to fund big amenities and compete for events. College towns like Manhattan and Lawrence use them for visitor infrastructure. Topeka's move aligns it closer to these peers rather than lower-rate peers like Wichita.
• Total Cost to Visitors: TGT adds to the state sales tax (~6.5% base + local) on lodging. A $150/night room at 8.5% TGT adds ~$12.75 in TGT alone (plus sales tax).

For the most accurate/current list, refer to the Kansas Department of Revenue's quarterly TGT Rates PDF (updated as of April 1, 2026). Rates can change via local ordinances, and some cities have special districts or overlays. Topeka's 8.5% is solid but not the highest in the state.

 

Tax Topeka to death ......

Topeka City Council unanimously approved raising the transient guest tax (TGT, or hotel/motel tax) from the current 7% to 8.5%, effective January 1, 2027, with no sunset date.

This is a 1.5 percentage point increase that prevents a scheduled drop (back toward a base of around 6%) and is projected to generate roughly an additional $600,000 annually for tourism-related uses.

Background and Rate History

• The TGT is a local tax on short-term lodging (typically under 28 days) paid by visitors, not local residents (unless they stay in a hotel). Hotels collect and remit it.
• It started at 5%. Layered increases followed:
  • +1% (sunset end of 2027) for venues like Jayhawk Theatre, Constitution Hall, Evergy Plaza, and a new ice rink.
  • +1% (sunset 2032) for Sunflower Sports Association.
  • +1% specifically for Hotel Topeka (city-owned/purchased asset) to help recoup investments, bringing it to 8% at that property.
• Without action, it was slated to drop (to 6% or so after 2027). The new flat 8.5% locks in higher revenue permanently.

Hotel Topeka (a city-acquired property via the Topeka Development Corporation) had its own 8% rate; it will now align at 8.5%. The city bought it for ~$7.6–8.5M in 2023, invested ~$14M in improvements, and is in the process of selling it to a private operator (Endeavor Hotel Group) while using targeted taxes/sales tax increments to recover costs.

Revenue Allocation and Uses

Revenue primarily supports tourism and economic development (90% often to Visit Topeka, 10% general fund for the base portion; additional layers tied to specific projects). Funds go toward operating convention centers, promoting tourism, financing projects like theaters, plazas, sports facilities, and an ice rink.

Mayor Spencer Duncan framed it as aligning with peer cities in Kansas to maintain funding without a decrease. Deputy Mayor Michelle Hoeferer emphasized it targets visitors bringing "outside dollars" into the city.

Context in Kansas

Kansas allows cities to set TGT rates via charter ordinance (beyond a base statutory 2%). Rates vary widely:

• Many mid-sized cities are in the 5–8% range.
• Examples: Wichita ~6%, Manhattan 7.5%; some others (e.g., Abilene, Atchison) at 8%. Overland Park has reached 9%. Topeka's new 8.5% is competitive but not the highest.

Impacts

• On visitors: Hotel stays in Topeka will cost ~1.5% more starting 2027 (on top of state sales tax and any other fees). For a $150/night room, that's an extra ~$2.25/night. It could slightly deter price-sensitive travelers but is modest compared to total trip costs.
• On hotels: They collect/remit the tax; higher rates might slightly suppress demand, but the revenue often loops back into tourism promotion that drives more visitors.
• On the city: Steady funding for attractions and events without raising taxes on residents. Extra ~$600k helps sustain/expand projects. No immediate plans announced for the new portion beyond general tourism/economic development.
• Broader: This is a common "exported" tax strategy—shifting burden to non-residents to fund public amenities.

Public reaction (from comments) has been mixed: some see it as reasonable for funding assets and tourism; others question priorities (e.g., specific venues) or note it adds costs amid other economic pressures.

Overall, this is a proactive move by Topeka to stabilize and boost tourism funding as prior temporary increases expired, while addressing costs from assets like Hotel Topeka. It keeps the city in line with regional peers without a major jump. For the latest official details, check Topeka city agendas or the Kansas Department of Revenue TGT rate lists. 

Otis

Here's the verbatim recount of the public comment you're referring to (from the May 5, 2026 Topeka Governing Body meeting video at approximately 2:35:51 in the public comment section, which begins around 2:33:42).

The mayor had trouble pronouncing the speaker’s full/last name (it came across in captions as something like “Christopher [inaudible last name]” or similar—hence referring to him simply as the speaker), and he gave this testimony:

“...based in paradox. And paradox can be spun paradox. It can be spun favorably or unfavorably depending on who is doing the spinning. And when that occurs, if it's spun unfavorably, those that are harmed by it, it's unbeknownst to them. Often times, they don't know that the teachings are being used to hurt them. And I know that this has been done consciously and knowingly by people that have the intelligence to do so. Because just like when you have religion and you have individuals who know how to use religion to hurt people, you have that same dynamic in the 12-step meetings. I was hurt so deeply by the teachings. I was shamed. I was ridiculed. I was held up as an object of ridicule in the meetings. Um because of my perspectives on the programs. So I just wanted to point that out. And what uh just the other part of this is that uh I believe what it comes down to and in the specifics of the harm that it can result the cumulative effect what it can actually result in. I've actually here in Kansas in Topeka recently I've be there's a lot of really nice people in the meetings. They've been really nice to me. There's also individuals that have threatened me with violence and used ad homonym attacks on the group level, smearing me on the group level, inferring outlandish um scandalous behavior on my part in order to discredit myself in my sobriety, my message on the group level. And that's completely anothetical to what the 12-step teachings teach is love and tolerance of others is our code. ad homonym attacks are antithetical to love and tolerance of others is our code. They're not abiding by that and that's in the big book of one of the 12-step meetings that's in the big book. So that's what they should be abiding by is love and tolerance and they're not. So my belief is that because there are religious concepts involved and I've got a minute left here so I'll conclude um that extremists have infiltrated the meetings and this has been going on for 40 years. So this is all over the country probably all over the world. There are extremists that want to control the narrative and they know how to do it. And I'll close by saying that this is not hyperbole when I say this, but I shared in a meeting in Colorado Springs, Colorado in a 12-step meeting. I left that meeting three hours later. I was attacked from behind in broad daylight. I received four to five martial arts punches directly to my brain stem. I was choked unconscious twice. I saw black twice. The man put his finger in my eyeball socket, threatening to gouge my eyeball out, etc., etc. the police put it down as a second degree assault, but I found out that that's called a rabbit punch. Just one of those can kill a person. That was attempted murder on myself based on what I shared in a 12-step meeting. But I'm out of time, but just as a public service uh just Thank you.”

The mayor then simply replied: “Thank you, sir.”

(Note: This is pulled directly from the video’s auto-generated captions, which are not 100% perfect. Obvious transcription glitches like “ad homonym” = “ad hominem,” “anothetical” = “antithetical,” and a few run-on sentences or dropped words have been lightly cleaned for readability while staying faithful to what was spoken. The core content and wording are exact.)

That’s the full public comment he delivered (it was one of several comments in that portion of the agenda). If you have an approximate timestamp where you heard “Richard” specifically 

The cesspool isn’t new — it’s just been rebranded as “talent initiatives.” Time to drain it.

 Why Topeka Taxpayers Should Stop Funding Forge Young Talent — A Taxpayer-Subsidized Social Club and Leadership Pipeline

Back in September 2003, I signed a letter as “Henry McClure, Developer” alongside Mayor Harry Felker III, Shawnee County Chairman Vic Miller, and leaders from the Greater Topeka Chamber and Go Topeka. We asked KDOT for the interchange study to make the 600-acre Commerce Park (now Central Crossing) shovel-ready. I helped pitch the original quarter-cent (later half-cent) sales tax to Kiwanis and Rotary clubs so we could get land developed and jobs created.

Twenty-two years and $125+ million in taxpayer dollars later, some of that same ground is still vacant or marketed as “shovel-ready.” And part of your sales-tax money is now funding Forge Young Talent — a young professionals networking group complete with galas, committees, events, and its latest initiative: Forge on Boards.

The Money Trail

The countywide half-cent sales tax (renewed through 2031) feeds JEDO, which sends roughly $5 million a year (sometimes more) to Go Topeka / Greater Topeka Partnership for “economic development.”

In the 2024 GO Topeka Business Plan & Budget, Talent Initiatives — which houses Forge — was budgeted at $212,630. Forge’s executive director, staff, events, galas, advocacy, and now Forge on Boards all operate under this umbrella. Historically, 60-70%+ of Go Topeka’s operating budget comes straight from the JEDO sales-tax grant. That’s your grocery, gas, and retail sales tax dollars at work.

What Forge Actually Is

Go to gotopeka.com/forge-young-talent/. It’s a “dynamic group of young people ages 18-40” that offers free/flexible membership, committees (Events, Marketing, Membership, Advocacy, IDEAS), networking events, galas, YP Day at the Capitol, Hire Local with Washburn, and leadership placement. They rebranded from Fast Forward (1999) to Forge in 2016.

In August 2024 they launched Forge on Boards — a program that collects interest forms from young professionals who want board seats and from businesses/nonprofits that want “fresh perspectives.” It hosts panels, makes connections, and aims to get more YPs onto local boards. Rhett Flood (Executive Director) and Matt Pivarnik (CEO of the Partnership) praised it as empowering young talent to “shape the future of our community.”

Sounds nice — until you realize taxpayers are subsidizing a matchmaking service for board seats in the same organizations that influence policy, incentives, and spending.

The Results After 25+ Years

• Topeka’s population still stuck between 122k–127k since 2000.
• Shawnee County growth is minimal.
• Central Crossing has big distribution wins (many already in motion in 2003), but large tracts remain undeveloped or perpetually “shovel-ready.”
• Young talent keeps leaving for cities with real job growth.

Forge hasn’t fixed the talent pipeline. It’s just another program in the rebranded Chamber/Partnership machine that keeps cashing the checks while the big-picture numbers stay flat.

The Rigged Loop

This is the same closed system I’ve watched for decades:

• Big deals and “talent issues” get referred to the Partnership.
• They get the sales-tax grant to “solve” it.
• They spin up programs like Forge → Forge on Boards → Choose Topeka incentives → galas → awards.
• Connected insiders and young pros get the fast track.
• Repeat. Rebrand. Ask for more funding.

You don’t need a taxpayer-funded social club and board-placement service to grow a city. You need jobs, development, lower costs, and accountability.

The Fix

Pull the $5+ million annual economic-development slice back in-house at the city and county. Make every single deal and initiative come through them on the public record for transparent, vote-by-vote approval. If money is left at year-end, spend it on roads and infrastructure — not another Forge gala or board-matching program. Let private sponsors, membership dues, or corporate tables pay for networking groups. Taxpayers have funded enough feel-good programs with zero transformation.

I didn’t wake up one day and invent this critique to run for mayor. I was in the room in 2003 signing the letter. I helped sell the tax as a developer and broker. I’ve cleaned out the office files and watched the same players rebrand the Chamber → Go Topeka → Greater Topeka Partnership for 22 years while some pads at Central Crossing still sit empty.

Forge might be fun for 18- to 40-year-olds. Fine. Fund it privately.

Not one more dime of Shawnee County sales-tax money.

The cesspool isn’t new — it’s just been rebranded as “talent initiatives.” Time to drain it.

— Henry McClure Topeka developer, taxpayer, and the guy who was there when they sold you the dream